1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to an aerial trolley. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an aerial trolley having an evacuation aid.
2. Background Art
Cable trolleys are used mainly for purposes of transportation, sight-seeing and access to elevations not possible with ground vehicles. Recent advancements in material science have caused significant developments in the high speed cable type thrill ride technology, e.g., zipline, roller coasters, etc. The construction of a zipline system is typically minimally invasive to its surroundings. A conventional zipline vehicle is not self-propelled but relies on gravity to traverse lengths of cables. Brakes or mechanisms to slow down the vehicle may be available on a zipline vehicle but a primary object of zipline is to take advantage of gravity to propel oneself as fast as possible. As a zipline vehicle is used to transport an individual at high speed, it is typically equipped with a harness for securing an individual or a seat that is not rotatably (about an axis of a horizontal plane) mounted to the overhead trolley. A user of a harness equipped zipline trolley does not have the ability to control the rotation of the user about a vertical axis while a user of a seat equipped zipline does not have the ability to rotate about a vertical axis. In fact, it is undesirable to provide a zipline vehicle having a rotatable seat as a user of the vehicle is required to be orientated in a forward facing manner to anticipate a take-off from or landing at a platform. There is a long-felt and unmet need for an aerial vehicle having a carrier or seat which can be orientated to its user's liking. Trolleys disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,640,626 and 8,640,627 entitling
“Ramp system for bridging flexible cable to rigid rail” and “Traction channel equipped ramp system for bridging flexible cable to rigid rail,” respectively, represent the types of vehicles used for traversing cables, ziplines and bridges used to link trees high in a forest canopy.
Conventional trolleys include seats which are incapable of being selectively oriented in a horizontal manner. A user of such trolleys must rotate his/her neck in order to face certain directions. In addition, it may also be impossible to rotate one's neck to face a certain direction, e.g., the rear of the user, especially for a prolonged amount of time. Further, in conjunction with rotating the neck to face a desired direction, such practice may also involve rotating the body. This may cause the weight distribution of the user's body to change unpredictably, making for unstable rides. With the advent of inexpensive point of view (POV) or helmet-mounted cameras, video and recording systems, it is increasingly important to provide trolleys having seats that can be adjusted about a vertical axis to allow for flexible settings of the seat orientation to avoid requiring the user to adjust his point of view to an unnatural direction. Attempts have been made to improve the service life span and comfort of a tram or aerial vehicle. However, none of them discloses an aerial vehicle capable of an orientation adjustable seating.
When a conventional trolley is disabled or otherwise incapable of resuming travel, the user is typically evacuated with a ladder or lift, making the process tedious and nearly impossible if the trolley is situated over rough terrains.
U.S. Pat. No. 788,674 to Riblet (hereinafter Riblet) discloses a bucket clip for aerial wire-rope tramways. A clip is provided to one end of which the buckets are pivotally connected to swing horizontally in the direction in which the bucket is moving, and which is rigidly connected at its opposite end to the traction-rope, and which is provided with a wrist-pin joint at its central portion arranged to permit the bucket to swing vertically at right angles to the axis of the traction-rope and to the direction in which it is moving above and below the horizontal plane about forty-five degrees. The clip of Riblet is a fatigue-reducing mechanism allowing three dimensional movement of the power cable attachment point. Riblet fails to disclose a mechanism for allowing rotation of the bucket around a vertical axis as provided by the present swivel assembly. The bucket of Riblet remains relatively fixed in place. The support wheels and attachment only allow the bucket to pendulum in the direction of travel. The bucket is pulled along by a power cable that must be allowed to pivot or repeated bending at attachment point 13 of Riblet will fatigue the cable and break it quickly. This pivoting mechanism allows the power cable to pull the bucket without stressing/bending the power cable at its attachment point (13 of Riblet). In Riblet, the bucket is not suspended from the pivot and the bucket supports do not allow the bucket to rotate.
Thus, there arises a need for a cable trolley having a means which enables evacuation of its user without undue effort.